![]() ![]() and 1 and 2 a.m., or the morning-long repeat broadcasts. Like Pavlov's dog, 18 million people a day and 88 million people a month come running when they hear the six-note SportsCenter theme music at 6 and 11 p.m. ![]() But there's no shortage of inventiveness in the room-along with humor, reporting accuracy and a big dose of fun-to produce the first of the day's four hours of live sports news that have made SportsCenter the most watched sportscast in the country. Without much to work with, generating even a hum will take creativity. It has to create things people in the sports world talk about," says John Walsh, ESPN's senior vice president and executive editor. Even if there is little to make viewers stand up and shout back at the screen, the SportsCenter staff needs to fill an hour of live television with sports coverage that "…entertains, educates, informs and gets great ratings. That's why the 20 or so production assistants (PAs), the three anchors, various other crew members and producer Josh Bernstein come together each morning in a conference room just off the SportsCenter newsroom. Looking over the uninspiring lineup put together that morning by the senior production staff, SportsCenter anchor Matt Winer says, "There just isn't much news." ![]() It's spring training season in baseball, the NBA and NHL playoffs are still weeks away, and NCAA March Madness is just around the corner. The sports world refuses to cooperate with those behind the popular sportscast. Inside the SportsCenter "idea" meeting, the atmosphere is far murkier. It's mid-morning in early March, and the air is crystal clear outside the Bristol, Connecticut, headquarters of ESPN, the multichannel cable sports network. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. Archives
January 2023
Categories |